As more AI companies consume large amounts of Reddit's data to develop their own chatbots, the popular online forum site has begun testing its own new conversational AI capabilities. The feature, called Reddit Answers, allows visitors to ask questions and receive a curated summary of relevant answers and threads across the platform, the company announced Monday.
This feature will allow Reddit to better compete with AI providers like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity, which have become popular destinations for users looking for quick and concise answers to their questions. Also, because so many users add the keyword “reddit” to their search queries, Google will eventually integrate that functionality into its search engine, making Reddit a more direct challenge to Google. It may be helpful.
Reddit Answers introduces an on-platform conversation experience designed to help users find what they're looking for directly on Reddit, without having to browse individual threads or communities.
When you ask a question through Reddit Answers, you get concise, conversational answers that pull information from the community and posts related to your question. Read relevant snippets and answers inline from real users on the platform, start full conversations, and deepen your search with your own questions or suggested follow-up questions.
Image credit: Reddit
For example, if you ask, “What tips do you have for improving your sleep?” the feature will give you a curated summary of information provided by other Reddit users, along with answers provided by AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Provided in a concise bulleted format similar to . As you scroll down, the tool will browse through all the different threads you've retrieved information from and allow you to jump into the conversation and explore for yourself.
Reddit said in a blog post that the new feature will give users new ways to get the “information, recommendations, discussions, and hot takes” they're looking for from “real conversations and communities across Reddit.” are.
Thanks to partnerships with the platform, companies like Google and OpenAI already surface information from Reddit users' posts in their AI features, making it easy for Reddit to help users find answers quickly. Having an internal conversation tool makes sense.
“People know Reddit has the answers, advice, and perspective for what they're looking for. AI-powered search is an integral part of our long-term vision to improve the search experience on Reddit. “We're making your search experience faster, smarter, and more relevant.”
Reddit Answers has been rolled out to a limited number of users in the United States and is currently only accessible in English. The company plans to introduce this feature in more countries and add support for additional languages in the future.
Reddit told TechCrunch in an email that the feature leverages technology built by Reddit, noting that the platform not only has its own AI models, but also integrates models from OpenAI and Google Cloud. did.
AI conversation tools aren't the only way Reddit is integrating AI into its platform. Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at the launch of an AI-powered search results page earlier this year. We also use AI to power translations and provide AI-powered insights to brands.